Many times I have stood in this place and praised our firefighters in my community of the Blue Mountains and beyond. I feel that there are never enough words to describe these courageous men and woman who put their lives on the line to protect us. The Blue Mountains is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world. For those of us who live there, we know and accept the risk; but I think we can do that because we are aware that we have an incredibly skilled and dedicated team of emergency services personnel in our midst. It is important for us to remember, though, that we need to protect our protectors and show support in whatever way we can.

Today I honour the advocacy work of our mighty Fire Brigade Employees Union, which works tirelessly for Fire and Rescue NSW, and highlight the industrial issues we need to focus on in terms of safer workplaces and adequate resources that are needed to protect them and our communities. To each of you who shows such endurance in the face of adversity, I express my profound gratitude and I stand with you.